1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to an improved auger for use in moving material and to a farm implement having the improved auger.
2. Description of the Related Art
Augers have been used for years to move material. In agriculture, augers are frequently used to move grain from a grain cart to a grain cart, silo, truck, or other storage facility. A typical grain auger includes an auger screw of constant diameter and pitch that is housed inside a tubular housing or shaft to form an auger assembly. An intake end of the auger assembly can draw from a hopper (usually by gravity) attached to it to receive grain or other material from the hopper and the other end (i.e., the discharge end) has a chute or the like to guide the grain or other material into its destination. It is well known in the art to attach an auger assembly to a grain cart to off-load, or to load the grain cart.
It is generally desirable to employ augers that move grain as quickly as possible (i.e., to employ augers that have high throughput). In order to increase throughput, it is necessary to increase the diameter of the auger tube and screw so that it can accommodate a greater volume of grain. Increasing the screw diameter, however, can have a number of undesirable effects. For instance, larger diameter augers tend to weigh more than smaller diameter augers. This added weight can, amongst other things, increase the cost of the grain cart, increase strain on a tractor draw bar when the auger is folded out, decrease the capacity of the grain cart, and unbalance a grain cart. Thus, there exists a need in the art for an auger assembly with increased throughput, but with minimized weight increase.